Friction press



Aug. 12, 1958 Nfa. owEN Erm.- 2,846,747

f FRIc'rIoN 'PRESS Filed Nov. 7, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 1 A rra/swf? Aug..12, 1958 N. B. owEN ErAL 2,845,747

v FRIc'rioN PRESS v Filed Nov. 7, 1955 I 2 sheets-sheet 2 IN1/ENT NOR/M4N OWEN OR-S' OWEN United States Patent O FRI'CTION PRESSv Norman'. B. Owen andi Frankl W. Owen, Hermosa Beach, Calif..

Application November. 7,' 1955, Serial'Nb. 545,165

3 Claims. (Cll 25'-45)` This invention relates; to a frictionpressa construction andy deals more` particularly. with thetype' of such.y press that. isused for molding ceramic tile and thel like.

The usualg friction presslmount'sf a: rigidi yokein which a wear-resistant nut isheld' as by a fit entailing` great pressure. A lead screw is engagedin said nut andhasa press ti connection with a'V bull-f' wheel that is set in rotation, in one directionl or the other, to4 raise andi lower thev lead' screw. The power strokev of the press occurs on the down-strokeof the screw, the up stroke beingl the returnor recovery stroke.

Such presses for tile molding rate-v aty a righ# capacit-y, eighty-five-tons capacity being in common use. It willi be realized"A thatr anyv parts.. that may bel subject'` to'y all or part of' such great force andhave av tight tit inl the part that' carries thesarne will`4 become so firmly fi-'ozenthat removal is difficult atj timesy when'- replacement, duel` to wear, becomes necessary: Present-daypresses'have` such press-fitted parts and, when replacement of such parts becomes necessary, removal thereof can frequently be accomplishedionly.` by: transporting thefY press components in` question. to a place or shop where.v an arborr p ress or similar: powerful'machine can be brought. into use-forrsuch capiti-ation,.v which may entail forceof fifty or more. tons. Theicumbersorneness of such manner of replacing, worn parts need' not further be discussed.

Since the travel of the lead screw in friction presses necessitates that said screw be substantially longer than the nut in which it operates, the screw has considerable free and unsupported extent above the nut when upwardly retracted. Since the downward projection of the screw results from a rotational force applied to the bull wheel by a friction disc and said disc incidentally producing a lateral force on the bull wheel, the screw is subjected to a bending moment each time that the same is projected.

In order to correct the above-mentioned faults in prior friction presses, it is an object of the present invention to provide a nut for the lead screw of the press that, while rmly held in non-displaceable position, cannot become frozen in place and can be readily removed for replacement by a hammer blow, and it is a further object of the invention to provide support for the screw to minimize any bend moment forces thereon.

A further object of the invention is to provide readily replaceable wear-taking means to hold the lead screw in non-deforming alignment, as above contemplated.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also-comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes, one

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embodiment ofi thepresent invention,l which is given by way of illustration or exampl'eonly.

In. the drawings', like reference characters designate similar parts inthe several views;

Fig. l is. a front elevational view of aV friction press of the type used in thev ceramic industry, the same embodying the novel featuresv of thev present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view as' taken on line. 2 2 of Fig. l, part of the means shown being in el'evationfl Fig. 3 is a plan sectional view as taken'on' line 3-3 of Fig. 2'.

The friction pressthatisillustrated in Fig. l'y com'- prises abed 5 provided with upright supports 6 that mount a cross yoke 7L Between the b'ed' and yoke and guided on supports 6, there' is providedr ay platen 84` that isconnectedf to` and@ is-l movable toward and' fromv the bed by means 9 carried by the yoke. A driving mechanism l'tl' i's provided for operatingv theA means 9, said mechanism being disposed inX overstanding relationship tothemeans 9Z and carried by brackets 11 affixed to` the yoke 7l The mechanisml 10- is powered by a motorv 12 and" includes apair of opposed driving discs 13" that have alternate operative engagement with the means 9accord ing to theV shiftedl position ofclutch 14' as' controlled by lever lS through connections' I6; Raisngforloweringj of platen 8 depends on which dise 13 is engaged" with means9.

llt will he' noted that the4 driving mechanism' I0 may be removed asa unit'b'y i'stvremoving' drive' belts 1'7" and thenrerrroving bolts-18 andltlie pin lig-that' connects# clutch 1&4? andi connections 1B.. Removal of mechanism from support brackets il exposes the top of means 9 andgiv-es access. thereto.` forA easy replacementh oliv the worn parts thereof.

The'l means: 9` comprises the; novela elementsl of the present, invention, the same: comprising;` generally-g. a-` bull wheel., 2t), a: lead screw.y 21; extending downwardly;r from said wheel' and hav-ing an operative connection 22-with the platen, and a nut 23 xedly carried by the yoke 7 and in which the screw 20 is engaged.

The bull wheel is formed to constitute a force-inducing ywheel and comprises a ange 24 on the peripheral face of which is provided an endless band or belt 25 which is adapted to have suitable frictional drive engagement with the drive discs 13. Said wheel is formed with a hub 26 that is end-bored at 27, said bore being provided with a wear sleeve or bushing 28. While not shown, provisions may be made for supplying lubricant to the inner face of said bushing. Above bore 27, the wheel is provided with a concentric tapered hole 29, the flare of the taper being downward, as shown. A keyway 30 opens on said tapered hole.

The lead screw is preferably provided with a quick thread, the same lbeing of the square or Acme type and usually triple. At its upper end, said screw is provided with a tapered end 31, designed to t tapered hole 29, and with a threaded extension 32 for a lock nut 33. A key 34, in keyway 30, nonrotationally connects the bull wheel and lead screw, and nut 33 locks these two parts against endwise separation. A flange 35 where the taper 31 joins the lead screw limits the endwise engagement of Wheel and screw.

It will be clear that the above-described connection between the Ibull wheel and the lead screw insures firm interconnection of these parts, although separation may be readily effected by removal of lock nut 33 and tapping either the wheel from the stem or the stem from its connection with the wheel. Once the fit at the taper is separated, the parts come apart easily.

At its lower end, the connection 22 of the lead screw is provided with a headed extension 36 that transmits the force of the bull wheel, while spinning, to the platen 8. A thrust bearing 37 is usually provided between the head of said extension and said platen to minimize friction during retractive movement of the lead screw.

So that the bull ring and the lead screw may have maximum travel, the upper face of the yoke 7 is provided with a bore 38 of a diametral size to receive the hub 26 of the bull wheel, the bore being sufficiently deep for the purpose. From substantially the bottom of the bore 33 to the under face of the yoke, the same is provided with a concentric tapered seat or bore 39 that diverges or flares in a downward direction. A shallow counterbore 4i) is provided at the lower, larger end of the tapered bore 39.

The nut 23 has an internal `thread 41 that is the mate for the thread of the lead screw and is provided with a conical body portion 42 on the same taper as bore 39 and tting the same, accordingly. A flange 43 on the larger end of body portion 42 tits counterbore 40, and a set of suitable screws or bolts 44 fasten the nut to the yoke and are so applied as to draw the nut i'rmly into the tapered seat.

The nut is provided with an upper cylindrical extension 45 that extends substantially above the upper face of the yoke 7 and has a running t in bushing 28. In the upper position of the screw, the nut extends but a short distance into engagement with said bushing, there lbeing a telescopic movement of the nut and bushing as the latter moves downward with the lbull wheel. Thus, the lead screw is not only held against bending lby the lead screw extension 45, but the bull wheel is also guided during movement by said extension to obviate wobble thereof.

It will be clear that, after removal of the screw 21 from the nut 23, and extraction of the screws 44, all that is needed for eecting removal of the nut is to strike the extending end 45 in a Vdirection to break the fit at the taper 39.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modication without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is, therefore, not desired to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illus- 4 trated land described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, whatwe claim and desire to secure 'by Letters Patent is:

l. In a friction press having a yoke provided with a tapered seat diverging in a downward direction, a nut having a tapered body engaged in said seat, a bull wheel, a lead screw on which the ybull wheel is mounted and engaged with the threads of said nut and carrying a member adapted to create a thrust force in Ia direction to press the nut body into the seat, the nut being provided with a portion extending beyond the yoke, and the bull wheel lbeing formed to have a bushing-provided hub in running t engagement around the extending portion.

2. In a friction press having a yoke provided with a tapered seat diverging in `a downward direction, a nut having a tapered body engaged in said seat, means to draw and hold the 'body rmly in said seat, said nut being provided with an upper extension above the yoke, the nut and its extension being internally threaded throughout its length, a screw engaged in the nut, a bull wheel carried by the screw, the bull wheel being provided with a hollow hu'b and said hub being provided with a bushing in running it with said nut extension.

3. In a friction press having a yoke provided with a tapered seat diverging in a downward direction, a nut having a tapered 'body engaged in said seat, means to draw and hold the body rmly in said seat, said nut being provided with an upper extension above the yoke, the nut `and its extension being internally threaded throughout its length, a screw engaged in the nut, a bull wheel carried by the screw, the bull wheel being provided with a hollow hub having a running t with said nut extension, the hollow of said hub being lined with -a wear bushing, and the hushed end of the hub being adapted to enter a bore provided therefor in the top of the yoke.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,440,303 Landback Dec. 26, 1922 1,553,243 Ivens Sept. 8, 1925 1,646,846 Yingling Oct. 25, 1927 1,456,752 Zeh May 29, 1933 

